Principal Prospectus - St. Xavier High School

Principal Prospectus
St. Xavier High School’s educational heritage stretches back to 1831. St. X is the Jesuit, Catholic high
school in Cincinnati serving 1,400 young men from diverse backgrounds in an academically rigorous,
college preparatory education.

St. Xavier is seeking a Principal to help lead the school as it heads towards its 200th anniversary.
This master teacher, grounded in Jesuit education, will encourage and empower the faculty and
staff to vigorously pursue the school’s mission and will contribute to its legacy of excellence in the
formation of young men.

The Principal is responsible for the academic, co-curricular, and formational programs of the
school. The Principal reports to the President and collaborates closely with assistant principals,
deans, department heads, and other stakeholders, both within the building and in the community.

Position to begin July 1, 2021

                         St. Xavier High School | stxavier.org

Mission
       To assist young men in their formation as leaders and Men for Others
            through rigorous college preparation in the Jesuit tradition.

                                          Vision
   At St. Xavier High School, a Catholic school in the Jesuit tradition, we are committed to
    being the rigorous college preparatory school in greater Cincinnati where exceptional
      boys from diverse backgrounds transform into academically accomplished Men for
      Others who are prepared to discern and successfully carry out God’s plan for their
                  lives and to serve as leaders in our rapidly changing world.

                                      We Believe:

                That rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Spiritual
               Exercises of St. Ignatius, the school is an apostolic mission by:

                   • Naming Jesus Christ as the model for all human life
 • Affirming the world as God’s creation and therefore good, but in need of redemption
            • Recognizing family and community as a context for redemption
  • Providing students with comprehensive instruction in Catholic beliefs and practices
• Providing students with opportunities for spiritual formation in the Catholic faith through
   participation in the sacraments, prayer, retreats, service, and other spiritual programs.

Location
The greater Cincinnati region encompasses northern Kentucky, southeastern Indiana, parts of the Dayton area,
and over 50 unique neighborhoods. Known as the Queen City, Cincinnati is home to Fortune 500
companies, nationally recognized hospitals, major colleges and universities, professional sports, and a vibrant
arts community.

A unique aspect of the city is the friendly and historic rivalry among high schools; in Cincinnati, if someone is
asked where they went to school, the question almost always elicits a response about high school, not college.

For more details and information, visit :
www.thecincinnatiexperience.com
www.cincinnatichamber.com
www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati

History
The Long Blue Line applies to more than 18,000 living St.
Xavier High School alumni found all over the world. St.
Xavier High School has passed through numerous stages in
its 189-year history. The Diocese of Cincinnati
was only nine years old when Bishop Fenwick opened his
school at Seventh and Sycamore Streets on October 17,
1831. He named the school the Athenaeum and placed
it under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier. Eight years
after Bishop Fenwick’s death, Bishop Purcell persuaded the
Jesuits to staff this school and in 1840 Fr. John A. Elet, S.J.,
opened St. Xavier College to 76 students.

The fledgling college underwent hard times in the 1850s but recovered after the Civil War and grew steadily. When
the college moved to its present Avondale site in 1919, St. Xavier High School and Xavier University were separated
physically; but it was only in 1934 that St. Xavier High School became completely independent.

In the 1940s and ’50s it became more and more apparent that the buildings erected in the late 19th century would
not be able to contain the growing enrollment, nor provide the type of facilities required for quality education.
In 1954, Fr. John Benson, S.J., began to plan construction for the high school on North Bend Road. In 1960 the
move from downtown to the current 110-acre campus in Finneytown was accomplished.

In the intervening years, the new St. Xavier has seen its share of improvements, alterations, and additions. A 400-
seat chapel, updated facilities for science and technology, an expanded music suite, an intramural gym and wrestling
room and improvements to the natatorium greeted the St. Xavier community when the 1999-2000 school year
began. In August 2004 work was completed on a performance center, black box theater, visual arts studios and
renovated administrative and classroom areas. A new wellness center and athletic team building were added near
the track stadium in 2008 and new tennis courts in 2018.

Timothy Reilly ’76 became the first lay President of St. Xavier High School in 2018. As the 41st President for the
school, he will lead the school in planning for its 200th anniversary in 2031.

The Student Body
Admission to St. Xavier is selective based upon a student’s potential, qualifying
examinations and previous academic performance.

Students enrolled at St. Xavier reside in all areas of greater Cincinnati, including
northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. The student body is approximately 80%
Roman Catholic. The remaining 20% of students includes Christian
denominations and the Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths.

There is a 20% minority population in the school. More than 100 grade schools are
represented within St. Xavier High School’s student body.

Tuition for 2020-2021 is $16,120; 40% of students receive tuition assistance through
St. Xavier’s financial aid program. Last year students were awarded 4.6 million dollars
in financial aid.

Although it is not a requirement, more than 90% of students participate in
community service.

Educational Program
A total of 121 faculty members serve the students; 90% of the faculty possess
advanced degrees, including eight with doctoral degrees. Five teachers hold National
Board Certification.

A student-teacher ratio of 13:1 results in an average class size of 21. Over 190
different courses are taught each year.

Last spring, 537 St. Xavier students took 1071 AP exams in 26 subject areas with a
90% passing rate, scoring three or higher.

The average composite ACT for the class of 2020 was 28.5.

Historically, 99% of graduates each year enter a four- year college or university
program.

The Graduate at Graduation
Every facet of curriculum development at St. Xavier is guided by the “Grad at Grad,”
a foundational component of Jesuit education. When St. Xavier is successful in its
educational mission, its graduating student will have certain definite qualities. Such a
graduate will be: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to
Doing Justice.

The Long Blue Line
St. Xavier alumni are often found at the highest levels of business, the professions,
and public service in Cincinnati and beyond. Hiring managers appreciate our
graduates for their ethical values and critical thinking skills. Personal bonds of
brotherhood are formed among classmates and stretch across generations to last
throughout life.

Spiritual Life
The entire St. Xavier staff ministers to students throughout the year in many ways; it is the task of the Campus
Ministry Department to develop and coordinate certain specific student programs in which faculty & staff take
leading roles. These programs involve a variety of experiences as seen through the lens of the Catholic Christian
tradition and flavored by the Ignatian charism. These programs in turn allow our students to become aware that
God is alive and active in their daily lives. Through prayer, liturgies, Sacraments, retreats, faith sharing, pastoral
counseling, and peer ministry, students grow in this faith both as individuals and as a community. St. Xavier builds
on values learned within the family by encouraging students to develop lifelong faith convictions and lasting
relationships with God in and through God’s people. Click here for more insight into Spiritual Life.

Fine Arts
St. Xavier’s rich and vibrant Fine Arts program encompasses four major areas: music, visual arts, theater and a
relatively new MakerSpace.

With an eye to the future of education, creativity, innovation, and manufacturing, St. Xavier’s MakerSpace opened
at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. The purpose of the St. X MakerSpace is two-fold: to enable student-
driven creation in response to broad instructional guidelines, and to encourage experimentation and foster creativity
outside of the classroom.

St. Xavier’s visual arts classes span subjects from drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, 2D design,
graphic design and more.

Students interested in music learn and explore their personal melodies through a variety of classes that include
choir, band, music, AP music theory, guitar, strings and percussion ensemble. Additionally, a number of music
groups perform regularly, like the Chamber Blues, Jazz Band, and the St. X Marching Band.

Theatre Xavier puts on shows that push the limits of what can be done on stage at the high school level and,
together with theater classes, it allows students to learn every facet of bringing a live performance together. Lighting
crews, sound design crews, stage design and construction crews, video design crews, musicians, and actors are all
either students or led by students.

For more information on Fine Arts at St. Xavier, click here.

Athletics
The St. Xavier Bombers are part of the Ohio High
School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and compete at
the Division I level. As members of the Greater Catholic
League (GCL) South, they compete against other local
all-male Catholic schools including Elder, Moeller and
LaSalle. Athletes compete in 17 interscholastic varsity
teams. The Bombers have won the GCL South All-Sports
trophy every year since 2008 and hold 59 OHSAA Team
State Titles.

St. Xavier’s athletic facilities include a 6,000-seat
stadium with artificial turf; an eight-lane, all-weather
track surrounding a second artificial turf field; an eight-
lane swimming pool; twelve tennis courts; two baseball
diamonds; two gymnasiums; locker rooms, a trainer’s
suite, and strength and conditioning areas. Click here to learn
more about Bomber Athletics.

Diversity Initiatives
St. Xavier is committed to valuing diversity among our students, administration, faculty and staff by respecting
and celebrating unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We embrace diversity as a core value, and
continuously seek ways to learn, grow and transform. Treating everyone with dignity and respect is vitally important
to our leadership. To learn more about St. X’s commitment to diversity, click here.

                                                          The Companion Scholars Program (CSP) is an academic
                                                          enrichment program developed by St. Xavier High
                                                          School for selected young men in the sixth, seventh and
                                                          eighth grades from various Cincinnati-area schools. The
                                                          program has two components: a year-round program and
                                                          a summer program. Thirty-five students in the class of
                                                          2024 participated in CSP, representing the second largest
                                                          number of participants enrolled in a school year. Click
                                                          here to learn more about St. Xavier’s Companion Scholars
                                                          Program.
COVID-19 Accommodations
Pope Francis has offered that present difficulties have stimulated creativity and inventiveness, and this has invited
us to new methods of engagement and ministry. No matter what schedule or limitations present themselves, our
mission “to assist young men in their formation as leaders and Men for Others through rigorous college preparation in
the Jesuit tradition” has not changed.

Our top priority is balancing the comprehensive health and safety of our students and community with our mission.
St. Xavier students and faculty attended online classes during the fourth quarter of 2019-2020. Following the
development and implementation of procedures and facilities upgrades over the summer, St. Xavier has maintained
in-person instruction during the 2020-2021 school year. During the first quarter no cases of COVID-19 were
transmitted on campus. Students and faculty with vulnerabilities have learned and taught from home.

The Position: Principal
As we approach St. Xavier’s 200th anniversary, we seek a candidate to serve as the 57th Principal in the school’s
history. The Principal is the educational leader of the school, directly responsible to the President and, by extension,
the Board of Trustees. As such, the Principal directs the administration, operation, and educational development
of the academic, co-curricular, and formational programs of the school. The Principal is also responsible for the
planning, coordination, and execution of the school’s educational policies. This responsibility requires a close
working relationship with the President, faculty including the St. Xavier Faculty Association (SXFA), staff, and
students, as well as parents and stakeholders in the community at-large.

Primary Responsibilities
• Directing the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the curriculum, and school academic
   programs, with the assistance of the Assistant Principal for Academics and Department Chairs.
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures in connection with all facets of the academic school
   program, including assisting the President and the Board of Trustees in the development of short and long-
   range plans.
• Interviewing, hiring, supervision, and evaluation of all faculty, instructional staff, assistant principals, academic
   directors, and support staff, with the approval of the President.
• Overseeing student behavioral and academic disciplinary procedures in consultation with the Dean of Students,
   the Assistant Principal for Student Services, and the Assistant Principal for Academics.
• Supervising – and collaborating with – the Assistant Principal of Academics, the Assistant Principal for Student
   Services, the Dean of Students, the Athletic Director, and the Dean of Faculty.
• Overseeing the work of the Directors of Adult Faith; Campus Ministry; Community Service; Diversity, Equity
   and Inclusion; Enrollment; Intervention Services; and Information Technology.
• Meeting with both internal and external constituencies.
• Serving on various committees to foster unity of purpose, common understanding and teamwork.
• Promoting the mission and vision of the school.

Competencies
• A Master Teacher and Academic
  Leader
• A Practicing Catholic
• Effective Communicator &
  Collaborator
• Trained in Jesuit Education and
  Ignatian Spirituality
• Versed in Fiscal Management
• Engaging Public Speaker
• Empowering of Others
• Effective in Marketing and
  Enrollment
• Skilled in Personnel Management
• Experienced in Data Analytics
• Current in Pedagogical Theory and
  Practice

Job Qualifications
The Principal shall be an inspiring and joyful person who is dynamic, organized, well-rounded, engaging and who
facilitates growth and collaboration inside and outside of the classroom. Additionally, he or she will have:
• Genuine commitment to Jesuit education.
• Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience, with a master’s degree in an education-related
     discipline.
• Record of accomplishment in teaching, and leadership experience in a school setting.
• Experience in adult faith formation.
• Appropriate credentials completed (or working towards).
• Appreciation of diversity and inclusion.

Opportunities and Challenges
Continuing to adapt and grow, as the community of St. X fixes our focus on 2031, we recognize the opportunity
present in a faculty and staff who are highly qualified and talented. St. X is positioned well to build upon our
strengths to address the opportunities and challenges for the next generation of students.
The Principal will lead a dedicated group of faculty and staff as we continue to:
• Explore new opportunities for recruitment and enrollment. As Catholic elementary schools grow smaller, our
    increased outreach to public schools takes on new emphasis. As the Catholic high school environment grows
    more competitive, embracing St. X’s particular Jesuit, college preparatory mission helps position us distinctively.
• Engage in culturally relevant educational endeavors. Contemporary experiences of racial and economic
    inequities demand response. The risk-taking necessary to consider such issues with teenage boys requires
    understanding and insight from the Principal as faculty and staff seek to develop understanding among our
    students.
• Collaborate across the institution to pursue expanded learning by our students. Increasing attention for global
    citizenship, innovation in curriculum, and inter-departmental cooperation present opportunities for shaping
    instruction to address a constantly changing landscape of our society and culture.
• Foster a community of collaboration and mission-driven excellence.

Anticipated Search Timeline
• Application Deadline – December 15, 2020
• Starting Date – July 1, 2021

To discuss this opportunity in more detail, potential candidates may contact:
Rick Millbourn, S.J., ’86, Principal Search Committee Chair, 513-761-7600 x395 RMillbourn@stxavier.org

Application Requirements
Candidates should submit an application package to the Search Committee including the following:
• A cover letter detailing interest and qualifications for the position
• A current résumé
• The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three references. (We will obtain permission
   from candidates before contacting references.)
• Optional: Other supporting material (e.g., articles, speeches, or letters of recommendation) that would be useful
   to the Search Committee.

Application materials should be uploaded directly to the St. Xavier website by Tuesday, December 15, 2020:
https://www.stxavier.org/about/employment-opportunities. After an initial review of applicants, the Search
Committee will interview semifinalist candidates via Zoom. Finalists will be invited to the school for a more
comprehensive series of interviews.

600 W. North Bend Road
 Cincinnati, Ohio 45224

      stxavier.org